Wan. CXLIII. conferr'd on the Apo/llec. 2 8 ned together to impofe upon theWorld, by thePretence and Oftentatiop of fuch a Miracle : But thefe Perlons were known toall that dwelt in Jerufalrm, and had for a longTime been taken notice of, as the DifciplesandFollowers of, jefüs, who was latelycrucified among them their Education was known, and the Meannefs oftheirCondition, that theywerefimple and illiterate Perfons, who never had the Advantageor Opportunityofattaining to this Skillin anordinaryWay ; and there- fore it mutt beconcluded tohavebeenan extraordinary and fupernatural Gift. Betides, that this Miracle was very publickly wrought, and the Noife of it in a few Hours drew together the Strangers of feveral Nations, who being become Profelytes of the 1ewilh Religion, dwelt at 7erufalem 5 thefe all coming together, upon the Noife and Fame of this Miracle, found it tobe true, and, asappears from the Hiftory, were fowell fatisfiedof the Reality of it, that a very great Number, upon theOccafion of it, and upon that very Day, became Profelytes to the Chri- ftian Religion, and joined themfelves to the Apoftles and their Followers, (who were then but few in number) and were prefently admitted into the Chriftian Church byBaptifin, the ufual Ceremony of admittingProfelytes among the Jews. Thiswas a prefent and great Effe&, and is a great Evidence and Confirmation of the Truth and Reality of the Thing : But this I (hall have Occafion to fpeak more fully to, when Icome to the Fifth Particular which I propofed. I add farther, that our Saviour feems to have reckoned this as one of the great- eft of Miracles, and therefore to have referved it, for an Inftance and Demonftra- Lion of the gloriousPower which he was inverted withal, after his Afcenfion into Heaven ; as may very probably be colle&ed from that Declaration and Promife whichhe made tohis Apoftles, a little before his Departure from them, john s4. ra. Verily, verily, I fayuntoyou, He that believeth inme, theWorks that I do fhall hedoalfo, and greater Works than thefefhall he do, becaufe Igo untomyFather ; that is, in order to the fendingof the Holy Ghoft, to endow themwith Powerfrom on high, to qualify them for the publi(hing of the Gofpel, which they were forbidden to enter upon 'till this Promife was made good to them. But what werethefe greater Works, which he here promifeth toenable them to do, after hewasgone tohisFather? For he exprefly promifeth, that they fhould_ not only do the Works which he bad done, but greater Works than thofe., and what could there be? Our Saviour had wrought many and great Miracles almoft in all Kinds imaginable ; he hadcalf out Devils, and healed all Sortsof InfirmitiesandDifeafes ; hehad changedNature, by turningWater into Wine, and had ftop'd the Courfe of it, by (tilling the Winds and the Sea by his Word; and he had raifed theDead ; and now what Work could that be which was greater than any of thefe ? Even that which I am fpeaking of, the miraculous Power offpeaking all Languages, without learning them; a Thing never heardof in the World before. And this was the firft fenfible Effe& of the Coming-of the HolyGhoft upon them, the firft miraculous Power with which he endowed his Apoftles, after he was afcended into Heaven, and gone to his Father; an evident Teftimony of the Glory and Power which he was inverted withal, after he was taken up into Heaven, and fat down at the Right Hand of God, to fignify both the Honour and the Power which was conferred upon him, in that he enabled his Apoffles, when he was abfent from them, to do that, which whilft he was pre- fent with them, he had never enabled them to do, nor ever did himfelf ; all which tends to advance thisMiracle, and to thew the Greatnefs and Strangenefs of it above any other. And unlefs we fix it upon this Miracle, it will be hard, ifnot impoffible, togive a good Account of theAccompli thing of that folemnPro- mileof our Saviour to hisDifciples, after he Ihould be gone to hisFather, that is, after his Afcenfion intoHeaven; Verily, verily, I fayuntoyou, He that believeth on me, the Works that Ido(hall he do alfo, andgreater Works than thefe(hallhe do, becaufe Igounto myFather. Now what miraculous Work can be inrtanced in, that was done by the Apoftles, and was greater than anyour Saviour did, when he was uponEarth, but this only of Speaking all Languages on the Sudden without ever having learned them : Which Confideration alone does confirm me part all Doubt, that our Sa- viour in this Promife meant the miraculous Gift of Tongues, which was the firft Gift that was conferred upon them, after he was afcended into Heaven, and gone to his Father. I proceeds O o Secondly,
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